Words: Sarah Lograsso, Director of Marketing and Product Management at Westlake Royal
Photos: Westlake Royal Stone Solutions
When it comes to what you wear, sometimes a small statement piece can make all the difference. Whether you’re getting ready for a wedding, graduation, or other major engagement, or perhaps just dressing up a bit for an everyday outing, the right necklace, wristwatch, or pair of shoes can boost your confidence and give you a slight edge over any challenges you face throughout the day.
Remarkably, you can introduce changes to the home environment that will similarly shape one’s mood and sharpen one’s focus every time one enters or exits a space. Even if your client doesn’t have a vast collection of materials and wealth to leverage, you can still guide them to transform and elevate their everyday experiences at home with attention-grabbing accents.
UPSCALE ON A SMALL SCALE
The key is to focus your efforts on upscaling your client’s favorite spaces with eye-catching focal points and unique accent pieces, just as you would tastefully appoint each element of your wardrobe for a special occasion. These little adjustments will help guide the overall renovation of the space over the following months and years until their desired goal is reached.
Here’s a simple, three-step process to follow as soon as you talk with your client about what their desired outcome is:
VISUALIZE THE SPACE
Rome may not have been built in a day, but it came together faster once the architects and other shapers of the city established a plan. Sometimes, this first, crucial step is the one we pay the least attention to, which is what leaves homes feeling a little more drab than we’d all prefer.
When starting this process with a client, start with the smallest, simplest space in their home that could use some extra TLC, take a few minutes to discuss what they imagine in that space, and utilize your design knowledge in tandem to create a vision that feels right. While discussing, be sure to take stock of how a particular piece of furniture, window treatment or accent wall makes your client feel, and confirm that it is the desired feel they are looking for. If it isn’t sitting right with their ideal image, take the time to reevaluate. Life is full of emotional journeys, and each space in a home should evoke an emotional response.
If a client has built-ins that are pushing them toward a breakdown, perhaps your first step will be to introduce a sense of structure to their den, office, or reading nook. Or maybe there’s just not enough light in the living room, which can be addressed with brighter walls and well-lit signature pieces.
Once you have discussed how your client would like a particular space to shape their family’s day-to-day routines, the real work begins.
SHOWCASE SHOWSTOPPERS
One of the greatest design challenges in any space is that of prioritization. People are much more used to bulking up than cutting down, and sometimes, it can feel counterintuitive to eliminate in order to elevate. Thankfully, it truly doesn’t take much to turn the page on the past and step forward on a new trajectory. In many cases, it simply takes a single, meaningful statement item.
In fact, someone’s pièce de résistance may already be somewhere in their home, although it might be hidden in another room or inexplicably barricaded by clutter. Once you determine the item that deserves the most attention in their space, make every effort to help it stand out:
An exquisite Tiffany vase displayed on an IKEA shelf? Gorgeous, even if it seems an odd pair. Just don’t let anything else on those shelves compete with its prominence. Reassure your client that they can upgrade to a different “display case” over time.
Porcelain heirlooms in the front entry’s drop zone? No less priceless, just don’t leave them in the dark. Make sure the light falls more on those treasures than the tray used to hold keys and that the dog’s leash hangs far enough away that it won’t constantly knock them over.
A passed-down document or piece of art from a distant ancestor? That absolutely deserves more attention than the television. Back it up with an accent wall in a different texture, such as brick or stone, to add dimension and assert its dominance against the flat-screen dilemma box.
With time, your client will be able to make other changes to further enhance their space. When they do, remind them that whatever is first set apart as their showstopper should continue to serve as the primary focal point and mood-setter, even as the space around it continues to evolve.
KEEP IT GOING
Once the first necessary step in shifting the environment in a home for the best is taken, the rest will come much more easily. Just like a statement piece of jewelry that always feels right with a variety of outfits, your clients will probably find themselves gravitating toward a similar aesthetic focus in multiple spaces. So, it is important to help guide them in the beginning to help them figure out their unique design style.
As you guide clients to tackle new projects, one at a time, the process will inevitably become clearer and easier. It will be a process to break their temptation to go back to old habits, but just remind them to stay vigilant as their home is transformed room-by-room. Eventually leading to a “clean” over “cluttered” space that will not only benefit the home, but the family too.
The whole goal is to ensure that a client can keep experiencing a sense of lived-in luxury, which has less to do with price tags and actually describes the feeling of richness that comes when we know a space is in “just right” condition.
In the fashion world, the best outfits and accents do far more than simply make us look our best. They inspire us to live up to our potential, be that in the workplace, grocery store, or our own backyard. In the same way, by introducing key accents and highlighting specific aesthetic touches in each space of the home, your client will be investing in their own family’s emotional well-being and livelihood for many years to come.
